Wednesday

My husband e-mailed me this photo from the carousel today while I was at home working. I just love the look of pure, unadulterated bliss. 

Also, for those of you who didn't see it on facebook, thought I should post this, which he made: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySNaR84Ylmw

As a footnote, I should say that since we rarely take videos, he has used bits and clips from various periods of her life, so that some of these clips are from a year ago or more - hence the incongruity in her appearance. Also, it may surprise some of you (as it did me) to notice that she still often moves and behaves like a three-year-old, although in still photos and in close-up she appears much older. This is a conundrum that will make things interesting for her when she enters preschool in the fall. I'm interested to see how it will play out. She has an enormous and magnetic personality, which draws people of all ages to her automatically, so I'm not inordinately worried for her. That said,  at 3.5 she is the height of your average five or six-year-old here in the US, and her features are very mature for her age (partly because of her bone structure, and largely because she is naturally lean and has never managed to hold any baby fat). This incongruity is only compounded by the fact that her verbalized speech is delayed (in pronunciation if not in scope) considerably, due to the fact that the surgeries on the muscles of her inner mouth are not yet complete. Add in the fact that she can do math like a 3rd-grader, has a photographic memory, and creates google-quality maps in her brain wherever she goes, and you have a very unusual child.
That's my girl.
A dyed-in-the-wool individual.
They definitely tossed the mold after this one.

10 comments:

M*L*R said...

Pictures with Carrousel : love !:-)) Kisses sweetie girl!

the habitpattern said...

awesome video!
also, great song choice. i love the bird and the bee.

Ling said...

so much fun. still photos are lovely but videos of Q in motion adds a whole other layer to the fabulosity that is her royal Q-ness.

Unknown said...

Oh I love this video! I especially love how she tries out all the rides, and things in the shops. Kids can be cruel at that age which makes us parents worry so but I have also seen kids who without force become the best of themselves with others! And this, I am sure will be those surrounding Q. She is wonderful.

FDChief said...

Sheadon loved the little video and wanted to play it several times. Maxine looked at Q and declared "I don't LIKE that girl!". When I asked her why she said "she is silly". I spy the green eyes of jealousy.

Love the snapshots, but my favorite is still you two walking barefoot on the pebble path to get the total immersion in the pebble-path experience, including the rounded stones under the soles of your feet...

Anonymous said...

She is adorable! I especially love how you describe her! Have you ever considered that Q may be older than her documented age? Chinese officials have misrepresented children's ages before to entice Americans to adopt!

Maia said...

John, we love us some pebble path! First time we tried one out was in China a few days after our adoption, so love having one here at home!

Anon. - to look at her now I would suspect that she's older than was claimed. But if you had seen her at 11 months when we brought her home...she was TINY. She only weighed 14 lbs and was clearly just a baby. She just grows extremely quickly! For the first year and a half at home she grew about an inch a month. I think she will be as tall as me if not taller!

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Yoli said...

I love the video, so heartfelt. Mike is an amazing Dad. I think Q is going to be just fine when she enters school and will excel just like she has with everything. Academia to an analytical mind like hers, will be heaven.

alliot + iza said...

Love your video! I watch it for three times. Great music and editing.
Agreed that the video adds a whole new layer to our perception on Q ... she is still a 3.5Y sweetie, ... love her movement and silliness :)
So blessed to have a child who's all round and so well balanced with her emotional development.
I wish I know how to edit videos ... it will be new dimension to explore. Fun!